Flashlight and battery unit therefor



Feb. 10, 19429 c. P. DEIBEL FLASHLIGHT AND BATTERY UNIT THEREFOR Filed Oct. '22; 1940 2 SheetsF-Sheet 1 FIG. 1.

' INVENTOR. PDEIBBL BY CYRIL ATTORNEY J.

Feb. 10, 1942. c. P. DEIBEL FLASHLIGHT AND BATTERY UNIT THEREFOR 2 SheetsSheet' 2 Filed Oct. 22, 1940 mvmog CYRIL P DEIBEL M WM \4 rrows.

Patented Feb. 10, 1942 UNITED- STATES PATENT v OFFICE;

FLASHLIGHT AND BATTERY UNIT THEREFOR- 3 Claims.

This invention relates to certain new and use ful improvements in flashlights and battery units therefor and more particularly to a flashlight unit which will eliminate the necessity for a flashlight case altogether. Conventional flashlights now generally known usually comprise a case to receive one or more dry cells and a head removably attached to the case, the head carrying a lamp, reflector, and lens and suitable electrical connections for connecting. the lamp with the dry cells. With the conventional flashlight construction any leakage of the cells causes corrosion, and when the time comes to change the batteries considerable difhculty is frequently experienced in removing the corroded dry cells from the case usually resulting in destruction of the I case altogether.

One of the objects of this invention therefore a battery unit, for flashlights which is' self-contained and which is adapted to detachably receive a flashlight head and which may be discarded when desired, the battery unit providing th handle for the flashlight.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dry cell unit which is leak proof and of rugged and dependable construction and which can be economically manufactured in quantity produce tion.

Another object of the invention is to eliminate unit therefor; Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view on the line l -l of Fig. 8 and Fig. 8 is a view in side elevation of the battery .unit attached from the flashlight head.

The flashlight construction herein. disclosed comprises two principal members hereinafter referred to generally as the head H and cell unit C. As best illustrated in'Fig. 2, the cell unit C here shown comprises a container it formed of any suitable material and which is preferably of a diameter and length suitable to receive'two dry cells designated II and II, but it is to be clearly understood that the container to may be made of a size or shape suitable for receiving any desired number of dry cells without departing from the spirit of my invention.

. The dry cellsii and I2 may be of a construction identical with the cell disclosed in my United .States Patent No. 2,079,495 with the exception of the metal disk or cover it which is supplied with a plurality of radially spaced depressions II the purpose of which will hereinafter appear.

The container to is preferably an extruded round zinc can having one end'closed andsomewhat bullet shaped, as shown at it, and its other end open and supplied with an external thread It which is received by an internal thread i! formed in the skirt portion of the head H.

The dry cells H and I 2 are inserted within the container 10' in acarbon-to zinc relation or, in

other words, in series with one another by means of a helical spring l8. One end of this spring is received by a hole drilled in the metal cap It on the carbon electrode 20 of the dry cell the necessity for the conventional switch. This is accomplished by bringing the cell unit into direct contact with the lamp when desired and to provide means for preventing accidental movement of the cell unit relative to the head.

Th'e various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will be hereinafter pointed out; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages,

I se; Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through an assembled flashlight incorporating the features of my improvement; Fig. 3 is an end elevation of Fig. 2, looking towards the head or lamp end of the flashlight; Fig. 4 is a perspective detail view of the coil spring mounted between the head and cell unit to prevent accidental movement between these members; Fig. 5 is a perspective detail of the metal disk or cover for the dry cell unit; Fig. 6 is a central vertical sectional view of a modified form of flashlight and battery I! in the manner shown in Fig. 2, while its other end bears against the zinc bottom ii of dry cell ii. The cell unit-C is preferably assembled as follows; Dry cell 12 carrying the helical spring I8 is inserted endwise "within the container l0 and then the dry cell ii is inserted endwise the lower end of insulating jacket II of cell It is removed or cut away to permit the metal shell 12 to contact the semispherical end i5 101' the outer container III as indicated at Ill".

Referring now in detail to the h'ead H and for the present to Fig. 2, the head preferably comprises a metal casting supplied with an internal thread I! in its skirt portion for the purpose of receiving the threaded end of cell unit C as before described. The head is further provided with an disposed boss 21 cast integral with the head H is provided with a bore 26 to receive the shank 29 of an electric lamp 36. The lamp 30, commonly called "pre-focused, has a flange 3| which is held between thehorizontal surface of theiboss 21 and the inner flanged end of the reflector 26 when the bezel 23 is screwed home within the head H.

From the description thus far given it will be apparent that the head H is assembled by inserting the shank 26 of the lamp 30 within the bore 26 until its flange 3| comes to rest upon the horizontal surface of the said boss 21. Then the opening 26 of a reflector 26 is inserted over the lamp 36, the lens then being placed upon the refiector and finally the bezel or ring 23 screwed into the head which effectively retains these parts in rigid relation relative to one another. In order to complete the electrical connection to the lamp 36 the head H is screwed down upon the cell unit C until the cap 32 contacts the central electrode 33 of lamp 30 which completes the circuit. To facilitate turning of the head H relative to the cell unit C, ribs or fluted projections 34 may be formed on the head. The flutes also serve to prevent the flashlight from rolling when placed upon 3 any level surface such as a desk, table top or the like. The movement of the head axially relative to the cell unit constitutes the switch which makes and breaks the circuit to the lamp.

Means for preventing accidental rotation of the head H upon the cell unit C will now be described. A coil spring 34 shown in detail in Fig. 4 has its ends bent at right angles to its convolutions to supply vertical projections 35 and 36. p

This spring is received within a recess 31 formed internally of the boss 21 and its projection 35 is passed through a hole 38 in said boss and made H of the disk |3, but the tension of the spring 34" is sufficient to maintain the projection 36 within one of the depressions I4 to prevent accidental rotation of the head upon the cell unit.

Should the head H be screwed entirely home upon the cell unit C or until the flange l6 of container Ill bears against the shoulder 40, no damage to the lamp 36 will take place due to the fact that when the cap 32 contacts the electrode 33 any further movement of .the head upon the cell unit C will merely compress the spring l6 between the dry cells I and I2.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided a unique flashlight construction the cell unit C of which may be readily attached or detached from the head H and which cell unit can be discarded when the dry cells are no longer useful and replaced by a new cell unit without the trouble of removing the dry cells from the container l6 inasmuch as this is all part of one unit. The exterior of the container l6 may be given any desired finish so as to match the internal thread 2| near its outer end which receives the external thread 22 of a ring or bezel consisting of a metal casting, I wish to point out that it may be desirable to mold it from plastic, in which event an electrical conductor would be necessary within the head to conduct the current from the shank 29 of the lamp to the cell unit C.

In Figs.'6 to 8 inclusive, I have disclosed a slightly modified form of flashlight and battery unit therefor which comprises essentially a flashlight head indicated generally by the reference character H and a dry cell battery unit indicated generally by the reference character C. The dry cell unit or battery C comprises an outer metal casing 56 which is preferably cylindrical in shape and formed from a single piece of fiat stock the meeting edges of which are seamed together as indicated at 5|. The outer casing is preferably of a length to receive two or more dry cells indicated by the reference characters 52 and 53. These dry cells are of the same construction as shown in the form of myinvention disclosed in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive. The cell 52 has thereon an insulating jacket 54 formed of paper or the like and the cell 53 has thereon an insulating jacket 55 formed of similar material. The carbon electrode 56 of the bottom cell projects upwardly be yond the top of the casing and has an opening electrode BI and surrounding the carbon elechead H or in contrast therewith as has recently become the accepted practice. Furthermore, while I have shown and described the head H as deflected inwardly as indicated at 61.

trode area pair of washers 62 and 63. The upper end of the zinc cup is turned over inwardly as indicated at 64 and is embedded in a mass of sealing material 65. Fitting over the layer of sealing material is a metal washer or disk 66 the outer peripheral edge of which rests upon the top of the container C. The disk has a central opening therein the peripheral edge of which is The mass of sealing material extends a slight distance above the metal disk at the central portion thereof. An apertured metal cap 68 fits over the top of the carbon electrode 6|. The bottom end of the container C has its peripheral edge turned over inwardly as indicated at 69. The cell unit 0' is preferably assembled as follows: the dry cell 53 is first inserted therein and rests upon the inturned peripheral edge 66, the coil spring 51 being first inserted into the hole provided in the upper end of the carbon electrode and cap 66. The cell 52 is then inserted in the position shown in Fig. 6 with its zinc bottom engaging the spring 51. A slight pressure is then exerted upon the uppermost cell 52 so as to move it toward the cells within the outer casing. It will be noted that the bottom of'the lowermost cell has intimate contact with the inturned portion 66 of the outer casing. The upper end of the outer casing C is provided with threaded portions 1| which are slightly spaced apart as indicated in Fig. 8. These threaded portions are preferably formed on the metal blank from which a container is formed before it is formed into a tube.

The flashlight head H is preferably in the form of a molded casting formed of Bakelite" or some other suitable plastic. The head is generally circular in shape and is provided with a plurality of vertically extending ribs or projections 12 which serve to prevent the flashlight from rolling on a flat surface and serve as a upper end of the head is interiorly threaded and receives therein a molded lens 13 preferably formed of Lucite or the like and which has a thread formed thereon engaging the interior threads of the head. Fitting within the lens is a reflector M which has a downwardly extending skirt portion 14 which is interiorly threaded. Fitting within the reflector is an electric lamp 15 which is held in place by an exteriorly threaded insulating plug 16. Carried by the plug 16 is -a metal eyelet 11 and disposed within the plugis a coil spring 18 one end of which bears against the eyelet H and the opposite end of which bears against one terminal of the lamp 15. The plug 16 serves to hold the lamp in place and the coil spring 18 provides a resilient mounting for the lamp and serves as an electrical con- 1940, now Patent No, 2,254,474 dated Sept. 2, 1941.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A flashlight comprising a metal shell, a flashlight head threadedly secured to said metal shell and including an electric lamp and a reflector grounded to one terminal of saidlamp, a plurality of electrically connected dry cells arranged within said shell one of which is grounded to said metal shell and the other of which shell and one terminal of said lamp, the relative movement between said head and metal shell serving to make and break the circuit to said lamp, said metal shell being in the form of a tube the opposite ends ofwhich are bent over inwardly to hold said cells permanentlywithin ductor for connecting the lamp terminal with the eyelet H. Disposed within the flashlight head is a coil spring 19 one end of which bears against the periphery of the overturned upper edge of the casing C and the opposite end of which bears against the reflector M. The coil spring 19 serves the dual function of preventing is groundedto one terminal of the lamp. The

construction is such that when the head H is intentionally rotated counterclockwise upon the cell unit C the eyelet 51 will be brought into' contact with the metal cap 68 on the adjacent carbon electrode with the result that the circuit to the lam will be made. Movement of the head in the opposite direction will, of course, serve to break the circuit to the lamp.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the flashlight head can be readily detached from the dry cell battery unit when desired. When the dry cell battery unit is no longer useful it may be discarded and replaced by a new cell unit without the trouble of removing the dry cells from the container. The dry cell battery unit serves of course as a handle for the flashlight. It will be noted that both of the dry cells are mounted for slight movement within the outer casing C and that the lowermost cell is grounded on the outer casing while the uppermost cell is insulated therefrom. The dry cell battery may, if desired, consist of one or more cells.

It will now be clear that I have provided a flashlight and battery unit therefor which will accomplish the objects of the invention as hereinbefore stated. Various changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention and the embodiments of the invention herein disclosed are to be considered as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense as the invention in its broader aspect is limited only in accordance with the scope of the appended claims,

This application 'is a continuation in part of my application Serial No. 327,651, flled April 3,

said shell.

2. A. flashlight comprising a metal shell, a

flashlight head threadedly secured to said shell and forming an electrical connection between said metal shell and said reflector, the relative movement between said head and metal shell serving to make and break the circuit tosaid lamp, and means carried by said head for preventing injury to said lampby excessive relative movement between said shell and head, said metal shell constituting a handle for the flashlight and adapted to be discarded as a unit when the cells are exhausted.

3. A flashlight comprising a metal shell, a flashlight head threadedlysecured to said shell and including an electric lamp and a reflector grounded to one terminal of the said lamp,

plurality of dry cells electricallyconnected with each other and arranged within said shell, the lowermost cell being grounded to said metal shell and the uppermost cell being adapted for connection to the other terminal of said lamp spring means disposed between said reflector and metal shell and serving to prevent accidental movement of said head with respect to said shell and forming an electrical connection between said metal shell and said reflector, the relative movement between said head and metal shell serving to make and break the circuit to said lamp, an insulating plug carried by said flector and receiving said electric lamp therein, said plug including means for preventing accidental injury to said lamp as a result of excessive relative movement between the flashli head and metal shell, said metal shell constituting a handle for the flashlight and adapted to be discarded as a unit when the cells are ex- 

